First Impressions
by clairxdexlune
Summary: Jasper and Rosalie Hale live a simple life in Forks with Carlisle and Esme. Both of their lives are rocked, however, by the appearance of love in their lives. JasperBella, RosalieEmmett. Rated T for some romantic/sexual scenes and language.
1. Inconsequential Human Girl

**A/N: **This chapter is way shorter than I anticipate all future chapters to be, as this is just a sort of introductory piece. Anyway, please read and review.

Chapter One

There she was again. She was leaning casually over the table across from me, her mahogany waves cascading over her shoulder in a bounce. She was new, and I was old. I should not have desired her the way that I did. Her laughter, soft and light, like air, was audible from my secluded seat in the corner of the cafeteria. Was this punishment for my life's sin? I could feel her gentle emotions radiating around her. Perhaps I was destined to ache for her, to long to brush my hand against her silky cheek, to love her. Dare I say the word? _Love._ It felt sinful to even think the word.

And there _he _was again. Was it wrong for my blood to boil when I saw him wrap his arm possessively around her slim waist? In any case, it did. I wanted to wring the life from him, watch the too-bright lights behind his quick green eyes fade and burn.

"Jasper," Rosalie said. "You're thinking about her again, aren't you? I can see it in your eyes." Nothing escaped my twin, ever. We were different as night and day, but she still knew me like the back of her hand.

"And if I am, Rosalie? Give me some peace, I beg you. If I want to think of some inconsequential girl for a moment, allow me to do so." She threw her hands up deferentially.

"Fine, but don't expect anything of it. She's just another human, after all. Don't forget who we are." The warning tone in her voice was bitter; perhaps my infatuation with a human girl reminded her of her own regrettable slip in judgment so many years ago. Emmett had been his name, before things went… downhill.

"I know what you're thinking of," she snapped. "And this isn't the same. I was younger, then, and very foolish. I'm just trying to protect you now."

"Let me tell you a little story, Rose, about a pot and a kettle…" She narrowed her eyes.

"No, Jasper let me tell you something. You will regret those words whenever she lays limp in your arms, sucked dry. You will regret those words when she is cold and dead in the ground. And I will be there, to remind you of how above it all you once believe yourself. I won't forget." She was gone before I could respond, slamming her tray into a trashcan before I could blink. I would have to pay for this later, I was sure.

"What a fool I am," I said quietly to myself. Almost as if in response, _she_ looked up and locked eyes with me. My breath caught in my throat; was she looking at me, truly? They all looked from time to time, humans; they couldn't help but stare at what they rightly guessed was inhuman beauty. But Bella never even glanced our way.

I heard her Edward calling her name. "Bella," he said. "What are you looking at?" He followed her gaze to me. Quickly, I looked away from her, at the cafeteria walls above her head. But I could feel the slight jealousy and suspicion emanating from him, and I knew his eyes were still on me, prying at me.

"Nothing," she said, in her angel's voice. "There's nothing to look at." The bell rang, and everyone dashed from their seats and out of the room. I stayed in my seat, nursing the surprisingly deep wound that Bella's words had wrought in me.

When I got home, Esme was already in a flurry around the house. She was cleaning – needlessly, of course, but nothing could be done about it. "Oh, Jasper, hello dear," she said, not missing a beat in her frenzy of orderliness. "I was just thinking about you. Rose got home a little, ah…" She paused to search mentally for the right word. "Upset. Do you know what was wrong with her? She said she didn't want to talk."

"And I still don't, especially not to Jasper," she called from upstairs. Her anger was choking my senses. Esme looked a little shell-shocked.

"I'm sorry about that, Esme. We had a bit of an argument earlier in the day. It was about… relationships."

Esme stopped mopping the entryway, surprised. "Oh," she said, her hand resting on the top of the mop. "Why is that?"

"Well," I said. "It's about a girl…"

She smiled. "It always is."

**End Note: **First off, no flames! Edward will not be presented as the same Edward he is in the Twilight series, so I don't want to hear, "Ahh omg why is Edward doing this, he's totally not like that in the book! So OOC!", because that's kind of the point. Honestly, I love Edward and Bella together, and this is just a crazy kind of idea I had. I've always had a sort of morbid curiosity about Jasper, and here it is.


	2. The Lynx and the Bear

**A/N: **Sorry it took me so long to review, but I'm trying to work on this and finish up Moonlight at the same time. Egads, multitasking! Haha, please read and review. Also, I'm putting up Chapter Two on the same day as Chapter One because I'm cool like that - just don't expect it to happen in the future.  
:

Chapter Two

"So," she said, walking to the butler's pantry in a secluded nook of the kitchen. "What's her name?"

"Isabella," I said reluctantly; I wanted to share my feelings with someone, but Esme would surely dissect all my words and relate them to Carlisle and, if I knew her at all, Tanya over the phone. "Bella, actually. Bella Swan."

"The police chief's daughter? How nice." She laughed. "If we were still in my time…" she wrinkled her nose, and remembered that I was, in fact, much older than her. "Well, if were still in our times, you two would make a fine match socially." She sighed and looked upwards dreamily. "I could see it now: the police chief's daughter married to the doctor's son."

My eyes widened in considerable horror. "Please, Esme, don't get ahead of yourself. Rosalie may look to you as a mother, but I'm afraid that too many comments like that on your part and she'll be behaving far less than daughterly."

Esme only laughed. "Rosalie, violent? Please. She's just spirited, that's all. I was when I was a girl." She looked a little smug.

"She's not lying," said Carlisle. He shut the front door quietly behind him and placed his medical bag on the foyer table gently. "Once, when she was a young girl, she fell out of a tree and broke her arm."

"Yes," Esme said. "And my hero, here, came to the rescue and made it all better." She smiled warmly at him. "Oh, it feels like yesterday that climbing in trees like a little monkey with my young friends was as complicated as life could be… things were so different then."

"Yes," I said. "And so much worse. Just think: if people still behaved socially the way they did then, you'd be forcing me into marriage with Isabella by next Tuesday."

"I'm considering it," Esme said wryly. "Knowing you, it will be another year before you even talk to the girl." She looked at me archly. "That won't get you anywhere, you know. If you're interested in Bella, try to get closer to her. Win her over. Make friends with her friends and you'll see – it won't be long before she's the one fawning over you."

"I'm not _fawning_," I said forcefully, though it sounded petulant even to me. Esme tried to suppress laughter, and so did Carlisle.

"Excuse us, Jasper, but we know you rather too well," Carlisle said, before he composed himself further. "Believe me, son, you won't have any problems getting the girl. Who is she, by the by?"

I tuned Esme out as she explained who Bella was. Rosalie was still annoyed, I could feel that; she was throwing clothes hastily into an overnight bag to, I supposed, take a trip to Denali for the weekend.

Sure enough, she came stomping down the stairs after a few minutes. "I'm leaving," she said, huffing. "I can't tolerate _him _in the same household for another two days; Tanya said she would be glad to have me. Would you like to come, Esme? Carlisle?" She willfully abstained from looking at me.

"No, thank you," Carlisle said. "They have me scheduled to work two twelve hour shifts on Saturday and Sunday night. No weekend excursions for me."

"I'll be busy as well," chimed in Esme. "I was really planning on getting some domestic work done…" She looked around her forlornly, like there was an actual multitude of tasks set out before her; I doubted we even had any mice in the vacuous walls of our home.

"And what of me, fair sister?" I said teasingly. She turned her head slowly to me, regarding me with an incensed glare.

"Don't patronize me, Jasper. I won't stand for it. Besides, you hurt Kate's feelings so badly last time we visited; I doubt they want you anywhere near their residence." I cringed, remembering Kate's all-too-forward advances to me.

_'Oh, lighten up, Jazz…' _She'd baited me unsuccessfully for nearly a month straight on my 'summer vacation' the previous year; I could do nothing at the time but hope my silence would be hint enough to her that I was not interested.

"Please," I said. "She probably forgot all about the week after we left. Those women are forever tormenting the mountain climbers and fishermen up there. They're dreadful." I shuddered, glad that only Kate had tried to woo me, that her sister had not decided to join in.

"What's wrong with a little fun?" Rosalie pouted to me, despite herself. She was incredibly vain; she couldn't miss out on an opportunity to make her opinions known, loud and clear, even if she wasn't supposed to be speaking with me.

"You enjoy yourself," Esme said. It was a farewell, but it was also a dismissal. Rosalie picked up the few – by few, I meant two suitcases and a toiletries tote bag – bags she had packed and headed for the garage where, I was positive, she would slide into her audaciously red BMW convertible. Some things never change; Rosalie is one.

ROSALIE HALE

I enjoyed the way the wind blew through my golden waves immensely. Other drivers unwittingly slowed down or even craned their heads out of their windows to get a better view of me. _Silly fools_, I thought to myself. _Can't resist, not even for a moment._

It was almost too easy. Fast-paced Brazilian dance music pulsed through my car's speakers. I'd decked out my car with a brand-new Italian engine and speakers imported on the side from Japan; my car was an international commodity. I tapped my fingers on the steering wheel, speeding up just a bit when the road cleared of almost all cars; it was liberating.

I reached aside and dug through my brown suede handbag for one of the slim silver cell phones Carlisle had gifted us all last Christmas. I punched in Tanya's number in less time than it would have taken a human to hit speed dial, laughing lowly to myself.

"Hello?" she said. Even if Tanya was one of my best friends, I could never quite get over the way that her extreme age made her voice sound as wise and graceful as I imagined the Volturi's did.

"Hey, Tanya, I'm on my way now." I shifted gears and sped up; the switch was needless, but something in the action and the _vroom _sound it produced was enjoyable.

"Are you running down pedestrians, as usual?" Tanya said. I could hear Carmen talking quietly in the background; she had always been more sedate than Tanya and her sisters.

"No can-do; there is a shortage of pedestrians along Washington's more secluded highways – what a tragedy." She laughed softly.

"And Jasper isn't coming with you? Or Esme and Carlisle?"

"No," I said, a little sharper than I'd intended. "No." I amended, more gently this time. "I didn't feel like dealing with Jasper's moodiness; Carlisle had to work; and Esme has some kind of housework to do."

"Oh, well, tough break. I'll see you when you get her, OK?" I snapped the phone shut and tossed it into my bag. I started to bob my head in time to the music, humming in a fast-paced soprano along with the tune.

Tanya, Kate, and Irina are waiting for me when I arrive. They all dashed out of the house, so fast they were an indistinguishable blur, and pulled me out bodily to hug me. They kissed me and touched my hair and whined that I hadn't brought Jasper.

"You know I've always been partial to Jasper," Kate said mournfully. "Why didn't you bring him?"

"He was being terribly snotty," I said, holding my chin defiantly in the air. Just _thinking _about Jasper incensed me.

I noticed Carmen, standing patiently and quietly next to Eleazer, off to the side a little. Out of touch. With Carmen and Eleazer, it was always like that. They almost reminded me of Esme and Carlisle, with their unspoken devotion. It seemed wrong to me; if I had someone to love, I would announce it to the whole world and remind them about it every day.

"Hello, Rosalie. It's so nice to have you here again," Carmen said, the light snow landing picturesquely in her hair. "We've missed you so." It was almost impossible to detect the light Spanish accent in her voice, and in Eleazer's.

"Yes," Eleazer said. "But I do wish you had brought Carlisle." He laughed softly. "It would be nice to have some male companions around her _other _than the ones the girls bring around here, for a change."

Tanya, Kate, and Irina mocked horror and shock. "Excuse me, Mr. Uptight; we have a reputation to uphold."

So quietly, so softly, that I wasn't sure they could hear, Eleazer murmured, "Barely." I giggled to myself.

"Shall we take your luggage inside, and then go for a hunt? I imagine you're very thirsty after the trip," Irina said.

"That would be lovely," I said, borrowing Esme's favorite adjective. For Esme, it seemed _lovely _was a state of mind, which could be applied to all situations, no matter how unpleasant.

When Tanya told Carmen and Eleazer our plans, they decided to stay behind. The rest of us set out at a brisk run for the Denali Wilderness, very close to where they resided.

After reaching our destination, we soon split up. Tanya, Kate, and Irina were more than old enough – and powerful enough – to render hunting in numbers completely unnecessary; Tanya said she found her sisters to be more of a hindrance than a help, as they might try and steal her prey.

The first scent I came across once alone was something very rare; a lynx. They were not rare themselves, per se, but it was uncommon to come across one so quickly. They were shy, and secretive, only infrequently venturing out from under the crevices and ledges they inhabited.

I almost felt guilty, hunting something so serene, but I was thirsty, and a lynx was far easier to catch when running than a deer; they weren't used to being prey, and never made much of an attempt to run away.

I crept silently around the edge of the forest, sniffing around for the lynx's trail. I was pleasantly surprised when I came across its trail; the second wave of scent smelled even sweeter than the first had. Hungrily, I began stealing through the trees, making no more sound and disturbing no more nature than a whisper would.

But then, as I ran, a branch snapped under my foot. I hissed a curse as the lynx took flight. I picked up pace then, trying to keep up with the lynx, which was running faster than I had anticipated it would. In the distance, I could see the lynx darting behind an outcropping of rock that formed a cave. I slowed down as I neared it, unfamiliar with the scent that was emanating from the cave.

While I stopped, the lynx took the opportunity to make a getaway; it jumped out from behind the cave and took off. I ignored it; whatever was inside the cave held my interest now.

I took a single step forward and the beast came out.

It was a bear, the biggest I'd ever seen. Of course, the ones I'd seen had all been on the Discovery Channel, but I was sure that this one was abnormally large. When it noticed me, it roared and reared up on its hind legs fiercely.

I didn't think a bear would be much harm to me, but I was going to have to be careful. I edged around it, planning to leap onto its shoulders and snap its neck; the bear saw me coming. He swung his claws down in a wide arc around his body and uppercut me in the side. I felt myself flying through the air, shocked, and into a tree.

The small tree snapped under my weight, dropping me to the ground. I rose from the floor uninjured, but dizzy and in shock; how could a dumb creature have bested me?

Angrily, I ran head-on at the bear, screaming savagely. Anticipating me almost preternaturally, the bear caught me in a sort of hug with his paws and forced me to the ground. The bear put his full weight into me through his paws, clawing at my body and shredding my clothes. It pushed the air from my lungs in a loud huff. Realizing quickly that the bear was going to rip me to pieces, despite any vampire strength I had, I began to scream.

"Help! Tanya, Kate, Irina, please!" I didn't know if they could hear me; they could be dozens of miles away, caught up in the hunt. "Please, anyone!" The bear roared in my face, his putrid breath assaulting my senses.

I closed my eyes as the bear reared up once more, for a final blow. When a force hit me, it didn't come from the direction I expected. I opened my eyes quickly and looked around. The bear wasn't on top of me; it had been pushed to the side by… a vampire?

The breath I had been meaning to let out stuck in my throat; this wasn't just any vampire. I recognized the huge muscles, the soft-looking curly brown hair, the kind, good eyes… it was Emmett.

Pain jolted through me, quick and hot, as I watched him battle the bear valiantly. He was standing in front of him, dodging the bear's blows and baiting him like a championship boxer. He was trying to make the bear tired, I realized.

When the bear's attacks began to become slow and lazy, Emmett became lethal. He successfully jumped onto the bear's back, as I had tried so pathetically, and snapped its neck. Emmett leapt smoothly away from the bear as he staggered and fell to the ground.

He turned slowly to me, deliberately. I tried to cover myself with the scraps of my tattered shirt, but it was useless. So what if he could see the lacy, nearly see-through bra I had bought from Victoria's Secret? I tried to convince myself I didn't care, but the way I crossed my arms over my chest and my face heated led me to believe I wasn't fooling anyone, even myself.

His eyes were wild as they darted over me, every inch of me. I felt completely naked as he looked me over, so hungrily. "Rose," he whispered roughly.

I walked slowly over to him, shaking violently. I saw that he was shirtless and shoeless, clothed only in a pair of jeans, faded from repeated wash and wear. I was afraid. Would he hate me for what I had done?

When I was only a few feet away from him, he finished closing the distance himself. I cringed as he came to me, fearing he would tear me to pieces. I would have deserved it if he did.

But he didn't. He enveloped me in his arms, kissing my cheeks, my hair, my throat – but never my lips. "I thought I was going to lose you," he said, gasping and sobbing dry tears.

I was still frozen in place. Why would he even be concerned about me, after what I had done? "I… I think I'm made of tougher stuff than that, Emmett," I whispered, rattled.

He stopped hugging me as I said that, holding me out at arm's length to inspect me again. I tried to cover myself again with my hands, but he shook his head. "No," he said. "I want to see you." I let my hands drop slowly, nervous the entire time.

He closed his eyes and smiled. "You have no idea how good this feels. I've thought about you every night for seventy three years, Rose. The way you smell, the way your hair catches the light…" He sighed, but it caught in his throat as a moan at the end. "Just you, Rose. It's always been you."

I sighed in contentment as he gently pressed his lips to mine.

**End Note: **Thanks for reading and, once again, review!

**CHAPTER THREE:**_**STALKER**_**, OUT SOON!**


	3. Stalker

**A/N: **Here is Chapter Three, on time, as promised. It's extremely long for me (around 3,800 words, to be more precise), but its worth it. At least I put a bunch of important plot-related stuff in this chapter, instead of spreading it out over like three chapters as usual. Enjoy!

Chapter Three

A week had passed. My brief, intense encounter with Bella in the lunchroom had been engraved into my memory, scalded my every thought. For five days now, I've had to endure watching her sit through her friends' inane chat, her pull lips rarely parting to speak, next to her boyfriend.

_Edward_ was his name. I loathed him to the core of my existence; he never paid Bella any mind. He was Student Council president, president of the Honor Society, star track runner – in short, Mr. Popularity. He was almost perfect, aside from his lack of understanding of Bella's loveliness, and it made me sick. How could I compare?

Rosalie was sitting away from me today, with a curly-haired girl named Jessica. Jessica had looked very bewildered when Rosalie had plopped her tray down at her table, not far from where Bella sat, immediately launching into a discussion of shoes, attractive young celebrities, and clothing.

I had laughed when Jessica retorted quietly that she didn't know what _'Dolce and Gabbana was, but it sounded nice'_. Rosalie's face had stiffened, but she had kept her tone of voice quite natural. I was impressed she didn't go into a tirade on whether she preferred Italian to French designers.

And there was Bella, all the day long. Even after lunch, her scent lingered in my nostrils, tormenting me, teasing me. It challenged me to seek her out after class was over, convince her to take a walk with me in the dense, green forest behind the school. When I wasn't thinking about her scent, her pure beauty was a thorn in my side. The way she was quiet, but not a loner like me haunted me. The way she was never quite sure of herself, vulnerable and fragile in an appealed to me deeply.

I listened devotedly to her friends' chatter on Friday, hoping to learn of any weekend plans she had. It was tortuous to listen to them talk for so long about such petty matters, but it was necessary.

"So, Bella," Mike Newton said, carefully. He was almost as obsessed with Bella as I, yet he let his feelings show despite valiant efforts. "What are you doing tonight?"

She glanced to Edward, who was talking to another boy named Tyler about a paper due in English. "I don't think we're doing anything," she said. Mike cringed at the word _we_. "But I'll ask."

She turned to Edward. "Edward?" she said softly, laying her hand lightly on his arm. He ignored her for a moment, before facing her reluctantly.

"What?" he said.

"What do you want to do this weekend?" I hoped I wasn't imagining the feelings of regret coming from her.

He sighed. "How about a movie? The whole gang should come." Why would he say that? Wouldn't he relish any opportunity to be alone with her?

"OK," she said, turning back to Mike. "Do you want to go?"

Mike was angry, but he didn't let Bella see; he didn't blame her, after all, I supposed. "Sure. And Jessica and Lauren should come, too. How about we see _Love From Afar_?" I recognized the title of the latest romantic comedy, and snickered sardonically; the title reflected sadly the feelings I had for Bella.

"Well," she said, coming around to Mike's reasoning behind the movie choice. "I was thinking more along the lines of action. How about _Crossfire_?"

"OK," he mumbled, resigned. He was destined to forever be the platonic male friend, if Bella had her way.

"Are you in?" Mike asked, directing his attention now to Lauren, who had been watching the scene play out with malicious interest.

"Oh, yes," she said, her pale eyes practically dancing with excitement. She was sure to be eager for some gossip to pass on, and I was equally as sure of the fact that the gossip would center around Mike's admiring behavior towards Bella.

"By the way," she added. "Jasper Hale is staring at you, Bella. He's been looking over here for like, five minutes." Bella started to turn her head, but Lauren snapped. "No! Don't look! At least use a mirror or something, _jeez_."

Blushing, Bella pulled out her mirror and pretended to adjust her minimal makeup. I directed my gaze to the table next to hers, at Rosalie. "He's looking at his sister," Bella said, a little forcefully. Was she abject to the idea of me looking at her?

"Whatever," Lauren said. "I could have sworn he was looking over here for the longest time…" Her bitter voice trailed off; she was disappointed she now had no story to pass along to the rest of the student body.

The bell rang, once again, and the students rose from their seats and navigated their way out of the cafeteria, talking to friends and walking slowly. I pushed past them to talk to Rosalie.

"Rosalie," I said, stopping to talk to her with my back to Bella; I didn't think I could focus on what I was saying to Rose if Bella's deep chocolate eyes were locked on me at all. "Have you decided to talk to me yet?" Jessica was standing completely still, all her attention on me. I didn't look at her directly; lust and awe were rolling off her in waves, and I didn't want to encourage her.

"Yes," she said softly. Her eyes glazed over a little as she smiled. Her eyes trailed upwards until she was looking at the ceiling, and she sighed contentedly. "We can talk again."

I snapped my fingers in her face. "Hello? Earth to Rose?" She blinked languidly and focused back on me.

"I'll see you in the parking lot," she said dreamily. "Don't be late, after school. I won't wait for you." She left the cafeteria without a backward glance, apparently lost in her thoughts.

I was left standing alone with Jessica, contemplating Rosalie's strange behavior. I wouldn't have even noticed the girl, Jessica, had she not whimpered slightly. I looked up, and she ran from the cafeteria, her eyes like a deer's in the headlights of a car.

Chuckling, I began to leave. I would have gotten to class without a hitch, too, had Bella not entered my line of sight. She tripped over a pushed-out chair in front of me; I caught her in my arms in a lightening-fast movement, almost regretting it as I did. What if she noticed the speed?

"Oh," she said, as her lovely porcelain cheeks stained easily with blood. "I'm so sorry."

Laughing and looking away from her, to distract myself from her intoxicating scent, I set her upright. "Don't worry about it, Bella." When I glanced covertly at her face, she looked surprised at my use of her name.

"Thank you so much," she said, entranced. "I… don't know how to repay you, Jasper." An electric charge jolted through me as she used _my _name. "Are you doing anything tonight? A group of friends and I are going to the movies…" I was delighted she had neglected to mention that her boyfriend was part of this 'group of friends'.

"I couldn't possibly," I said, reluctantly. "I wouldn't want to intrude. The truth was, I didn't think I could control myself next to her in a darkened theater with her for two hours; I needed to hunt badly.

"Oh," she said again, embarrassed even more this time.

"How about a rain check?" I said casually, smiling for her. She brightened considerably.

"That sounds great," she said, grinning broadly. Her smile faded a little as she looked over her shoulder. I turned too, and saw Edward still chatting with Tyler and Ben Cheney.

"Doesn't he mind you talking to me? I know that if you were mine, I wouldn't let you out of my sight," I said, winking. As soon as the words were out of my mouth, though, I was mortified. Did I _really _just say that to Isabella Swan? This girl was an angel, but she was the bane of my existence; I didn't know myself in her presence.

She blushed and looked down. "I guess he's not the envious type." She looked wistful as she spoke. "I'd better get to class, I guess," she added.

Oh, how badly I longed to reach out and frame her heart-shaped face with my hand… "Yes, I suppose I should go too." I opened my mouth to say goodbye, but hesitated. I wanted to at least hug her, but it felt too forward. My biological mother wouldn't have approved, if she were still alive to see me now; Esme would, of course, have been delighted, though, to see me getting on with Bella.

Bella closed the awkward moment for me. "Goodbye," she said, in a half-whisper. She was out of the cafeteria before I could say anything else, her small frame lost in the crowd. Her scent, however, remained in a haze in the space in front of me.

Edward walked out behind her, casting yet another suspicious glare at me. I walked swiftly behind him, only to him catch up with Bella and grab her hand possessively. She looked surprised, but didn't protest. She was too gentle, like a lamb.

That night, I didn't know what to wear. I had skipped class after lunch to go hunting, so that I could go to the movies that night. I didn't plan on going with Bella, however; I was going simply to watch her. Rosalie had scoffed at my plan, telling me scathingly that I was a weirdo and that I should find something more productive to do with my time.

"What if she sees you there, Jasper, watching her? She's going to think you're a stalker." She wrinkled her nose in disdain. "You _are _a stalker, actually. You know, if you're going to be with that wretched girl, at least make an actual move on her. Don't be odd, OK?" I tried to tune out her jealously and spite as I looked through my closet for something suitable to wear, in case she did see me.

I sighed and threw down an old pair of khaki cargo pants – from 1999 – on the bed. "I have no idea what to wear."

Rosalie was not sympathetic in the slightest. "Well, maybe you should buy new clothes more frequently, instead of once a decade."

"It's not once a decade," I said. "More like once every year or so. What's wrong with that?" She didn't respond, only taking a heaving sigh of exasperation.

"Never mind, then. Leave it all to me, as usual. I'll pick out your outfit, now _you _go take a shower. You look like you've been rolling around in the mud." I looked down at my wrinkled clothes.

"Hardly," I said. "You just don't know how difficult it is to take down an irritable bear." Her manicured hand froze on one of my dress shirts. "Rose?" I said. "What's wrong? Is it something I said?" An odd mixture of fear, worry, and… love was coming from her; I was confused.

"It's nothing," she lied fluently, continuing her search through my clothes. "Now, go get ready. I'm going to have to run to Nordstrom's in Port Angeles to pick you up something. How shameful, you have absolutely nothing to wear…" I wanted to press for an answer, but she had already left my room.

What was wrong with the women in my life?

ROSALIE HALE

I darted from the front door as quickly as I could, heading straight for the forest. It was not in the direction of Port Angeles, which might cause suspicion should anyone be watching me from the window, but I didn't care. I had to see him. I was glad for the excuse of shopping, so I could go to Emmett.

My thoughts strayed back to the fateful night we'd met, in some tiny town in the Appalachians. He had been so sweet and good-natured; he didn't once question what kind of creature I was when we spoke. If only things had not turned out so badly… But no, I wouldn't think of that, like he said. He said it was important not to think of the past as anything but the past, that it wasn't relevant to the present or the future.

I had hidden him a few miles from the house, once I realized what he was; he didn't share the more refined diet my family adhered too. He had been shocked, once I explained to him how we fed.

"But why, then, did you…" His question had died in his throat when he saw the pain flash across my face; he hadn't broached the subject since then. I was eager to see him today, like a child. He made my heart ache with regret, but also with longing – here was the one I had thought I had made a fatal mistake with, so long ago. It had turned out far better than I ever anticipated.

I was afraid he would be gone when I arrived at the little cave by the glen, where I had hidden him. But, faithful as always, he was there. He was seated, his legs crossed despite his bulk of muscle, on a large, flat rock.

He smiled when he saw me. "I was starting to miss you," he said. I beamed. "But," he said hesitantly. "I need to hunt." I didn't like what he implied.

"I can't let you do that," I said evenly. "Not here, at least. I would really prefer if you didn't hunt… them, at all." I tried not to sound like I was bossing him around.

"It's hard to believe something like what you guys do is even possible. How does it taste?" he said frankly.

"It tastes fine to me," I said airily. "Of course," I amended, "I've never tasted human blood, except for... you know. So I wouldn't be able to compare the taste all that well." I thought quietly for a moment. "You could ask Jasper."

He stiffened, and growled lowly. "Who's he?" I laughed, and then laughed harder at the wounded look on Emmett's face.

"Jasper is my brother, my twin when we were still human. He wasn't around when I… met you; he was going through a bit of a rebellious stage." _Rebellious _didn't exactly cover it. We had met Carlisle shortly after Jasper changed me, in the 1860's. A vampire named Maria had changed him only a few weeks before; I could only begin to understand the kind of tolerance possible to bite me without killing me. I supposed that, because I was his sister, he had mustered the strength not to kill me. In the thirties, Jasper left Carlisle, Esme, and I to hunt humans for a brief period of time.

"Oh," he said, relieved "When will I meet them?" I was surprised that he didn't say he wanted to meet Jasper; he wanted to meet _them_, implying he meant everyone. I gulped.

"Whenever you want," I said, my voice a little too high-pitched. "The thing is, they don't…" I trailed off, searching for a way to tell him about his precarious situation and status.

"They don't know about me, do they?" He didn't sound angry, just curious and a little confused.

"No, but they will. I just don't know how to explain myself. I thought you were dead for so long…" I spoke rapidly to explain myself, choking back tears that wouldn't come.

"Please, Rose," he said, pulling me softly to him. "Don't cry. It's alright now. I'm here, see? And I'm not going anywhere unless you want me to." He chuckled. "It's so strange, to be here with you. I've been on the edge of society for so long now, never talking to anyone. I felt guilty sometimes, you know, feeding on humans. But I never knew there was another way." I was glad, in a twisted sort of way, that he was admitting all his secrets to me.

"I don't want you to leave," I said. "Ever. In fact," I said, smiling to myself. "What would you say to a little shopping trip?"

He cringed. "Actually, you know, I was going to try out the whole animal hunting thing…"

I laughed and slapped his arm lightly. "Yeah, right. Anyway, I'll come back later. You'll be here?" I was embarrassed at the desperate note in my voice.

"Of course," he said, "eagerly awaiting your return." He smiled. "Don't be too long. I was thinking I could maybe meet your family tonight… if that's OK with you."

"Of course," I said, leaning in and kissing Emmett on the cheek as I spoke. With that, I turned and danced away in the general direction of Port Angeles, humming as I went.

JASPER HALE

Rosalie was back before I got out of the shower. I didn't know how she did it, since I'd been in there for less than twenty minutes to wash my hair, but she did it.

She had laid a simple dark grey button-up shirt, with three-quarter length sleeves, on my bed, along with dark jeans and some familiar-looking sneakers; I recognized them after a moment as Chuck Taylor-inspired footwear.

She smiled triumphantly. "It's so you, but more fashionable." I picked up the tag and glanced over it.

"And _so _expensive. Couldn't you just run to Wal-Mart, or something?" Her smile evaporated.

"Look, Jasper. If you're not going to be thankful for the semi-cute outfit I have so generously bestowed on you, forget it." She started to snatch up the clothes hastily. "And _Wal-Mart_? Ugh. Don't make me gag."

"No, Rose, I like them just fine." I let my dormant Southern accent creep into my voice, to cheer her up. "Please, ma'am, I would kindly appreciate if you let me keep these clothes."

She smiled, grudgingly. "OK, whatever. But hurry up! There's only one showing of _Crossfire _at the theater in Port Angeles, so I know they'll be there. And it's in half an hour!" She shoved me back into the bathroom to change. "Hurry up!" she called from outside the door.

When I finally got past Esme, who was convinced, despite what I told her, that I was actually going on a date with Bella, I had less than a quarter of an hour to spare. I borrowed Carlisle's Mercedes, fearing that Rosalie's BMW would be too flashy and attract too much unwanted attention.

The girl at the ticket booth had frizzy hair and braces. "One ticket for _Crosshairs_, please," I said, despite the girl's gawking.

"Uh… OK." She took the credit card I handed under the glass and slid it awkwardly through the machine. When she handed me the ticket, her hand shook. "Enjoy your movie," she whispered. She made me uncomfortable; I could feel her ripe teenage lust seeping through the glass like it was paper. _Her and Jessica should start a fan club_, I thought bitterly.

I froze once I entered the theater complex; Bella and her friends were at the concession stand, laughing and talking loudly as they ordered. I ducked into the arcade, praying none of them would see me or make my presence known to Bella.

I waited nervously for ten minutes, than went back outside into the lobby. Bella was gone, as were her friends, but I stopped needlessly by the concession stand to buy a drink, anyway, in case they were taking an abnormally long time to reach the theater.

I passed through the ticket taker's stand without so much as looking in the eyes of the acne-ridden boy who ripped my ticket in half and gave me the stub. Quickly, with my face down, I jogged up the stairs to the very top row and took a seat in the center, so I could see Bella no matter where she sat.

Predictably, Mike and Jessica led the gang eagerly to the very front row, presumably so they could goof around and dance in front of the screen, or something ridiculous like that.

Bella's friends calmed considerably once the film started. The male ones hooted and jeered when cars exploded or when scantily clad girls came on screen, naturally, while the girls, not including Bella, talked amongst themselves off to the side. I assumed they were gossiping, considering that Jessica Stanley and Lauren Mallory were the main contributors to the conversation.

Edward, to my extreme consternation, didn't act like a complete idiot. He sat next to Bella, holding her hand, but not paying attention to her. The sight gave me an elated feeling, like my heart was swelling. I was sure Rosalie would laugh at me if I told her that.

The first half of the movie passed without event. But, as the hero and heroine of the film encountered their biggest obstacle – they were spies trying to stop a mad scientist trying to take over the world, or something like that – Bella leaned on Edward's shoulder for a moment. She let her head rest there for a moment, and pulled away after Edward made no reaction. I could feel the deep feelings of rejection and depression seep through Bella; I wanted to rip Edward Mason to shreds. He didn't know what he had in front of him.

When the movie was over, they all left immediately. From their general conversation, I gathered that they were going to a late-night bonfire down in La Push, and that they were all rather excited about it. I could tell from Bella's feelings of dread that she had no desire to attend any kind of a party.

I left soon after they did, swiftly leaving the theater and striding across the parking lot with uncontrollable speed, slamming the door after I got in Carlisle's car. I thought I had made it through the evening without incident when someone tapped softly on my window. I rolled it down reluctantly, already knowing who it was from the scent.

"Hello, Bella," I said pleasantly, trying to keep my voice even. "How did the movie go?"

"Fine," she said. "But I thought you couldn't go. Why did you come?" She wasn't being nonchalant; she genuinely cared what I did with my evenings.

"I was thinking of catching up to you guys, but I changed my mind." I hoped the fabrication wasn't too far-fetched to sound plausible.

"Oh, well I'm sorry to hear that." She smiled sweetly. "It would have fun for you to be there."

My responding smile was nowhere near as sweet; it was forced, unnatural. "Yes, I'm sure it would have been. Next time, you'll see, we'll have tons of fun." She didn't look very convinced.

"I'll see you Monday, at lunch," she said. I was surprised she acknowledged we shared a period; of course, there was only lunch period at Forks High School.

"Yes," I said, my grip on the steering wheel tightening. "See you then."

**End Note: **Please review – it's what motivates me to write when I have writer's block. Please! Lol. And if you're looking for a more standard ExB-ship relationship fanfic of mine, try Moonlight. 'Tis the shizz.


	4. Long Drive Home

**A/N: **I am SO sorry it took me this long to put this chapter out... egads! I had it uploaded to my documents for over a week, without realizing I hadn't actually added the chapter. Once again, sorry, but it was an honest mistake.

Chapter Four

ISABELLA SWAN

"So, I was thinking that maybe we could skip out on the bonfire," I said, trying to look in Edward's eyes. He looked disinterested.

"Why would we do that? Everyone really wants to go, and so do I. Are you feeling sick, or something?" He didn't look concerned about my health as he said this; he looked more annoyed than anything.

"I just don't really like parties, that's all." I sighed. "But if you really want to go, then we'll go."

"Yeah, I do really want to go, and so should you – but that doesn't mean you have to. Jeez, Bella, would you stop with the whole guilt trip thing? Nobody is forcing you to go. I'll take you home before I go to the bonfire if you don't want to go."

I was shocked into silence. How could he be so cold? "You know what, Edward? Forget it. I think I know someone else who'd rather give me a ride home." I jerked my hand out of his and jogged to Jasper Hale's car.

JASPER HALE

I put my car in reverse with remorse. I could see Bella in my rear-view mirror, holding hands with Edward Mason and walking away from me. I ignored them, concentrating on switching gears and driving out of the parking lot without surpassing the speed limit by 150 miles per hour.

I made it to the stop sign by the exit when there was another tap at my window, this time more urgently and loudly. A strange tingling warmed the pit of my stomach, creating an odd blend of nausea and delight; it was Bella again.

When I rolled down the window, I saw she was breathing slightly harder than normal, and her cheeks were flushed. Waves of defiant emotion and triumph were pulsing from her like a heartbeat. She felt _alive_. "Hey, Jasper," she said, trying to catch her breath in between words. "Do you think you could give me a ride home?"

"Sure," I said. "Get in." After she shut the door and I started to pull out of the parking lot, I asked, "So. What brought all this on?"

Her confidence started to fade after I asked this. "Edward was being, well… he was being a jerk," she said. "I'm so sick of him, you know? It's like I'm always there for him, but when I really need him, he's…"

"Never there for you," I finished.

"Exactly," she said. She started to grow uncomfortable as the minutes passed in silence – I could feel it. "I really hope you don't mind doing this."

"Believe me," I said. "The pleasure is all mine." Her eyes widened and I heard her steady heartbeat increase rapidly.

Again, I was mortified. I'd said it to her in such a suggestive way, what must she think of me? All I thought of her was how beautiful she was when her delicate cheeks reddened, filling the car with the luscious scent of her blood, how alluring the quickened rise and fall of her chest was to me…

"What I meant by that was –" I started, but Bella interrupted me.

"No, no, I understand." She was blushing harder now, and looking away from me.

I grimaced. I had been optimistic about the hour-long car drive with Bella – it would have only been a half-hour trip had I been alone, but I didn't think Bella would approve of the speed – but things were quickly going sour.

"Let's start over, shall we?" I asked. "Why don't you tell me about yourself?"

She was confused. "About myself? What do you want to know?"

"Well, I know you are the police chief's daughter, and that you moved here from Phoenix last year, but that's about it," I said.

She was quiet for a moment, twisting her hands in her lap. I sent out calming waves, hoping to loosen her up. It worked; she spoke. "My mother got remarried, so I decided to come here."

"You decided to come here, or you were sent here?"

She bit her lip; a thrill passed through me. "I sent myself here. I wanted to give my mother and Phil – that's her new husband – some space."

"That was very generous of you," I said. She didn't respond.

We didn't speak for a time, and I found myself aching with thirst. She was still somewhat nervous, despite my efforts to calm her, so, with its quickened pace, her heart pumped more blood than usual as the minutes passed, driving me into a near-frenzy. Isabella Swan was going to drive me mad with thirst. I tried to swallow the excess venom in my mouth before it could build up too much.

"Why don't you tell me about you, now? We talked about me, and now it's only fair you return the favor." I was taken aback by her sudden speech.

"Alright," I said, cautiously. "What do you want to know?"

"Just general stuff. I know you have a twin, Rosalie, and I know your father is Dr. Cullen, down at the hospital, but that's it. And you're also adopted, right?" I smiled at her word use, so similar to my own.

"Yes, that's right. Esme was my mother's sister. They were very good to take us in, after our parents died. We moved here from Alaska a year before you did." I delivered the fictitious Cullen bio to her like an actor delivers the lines of a play.

She didn't look convinced, and something in her was… suspicious. It was subtle, but enough to raise a red flag with me; I would be careful what I said to Isabella Swan. "I see," she said. "And what else?"

I blinked. "What else is there to know?"

"Well, there are other things," she said, looking back down at her hands. "Like… why don't you or Rosalie talk to many people? Other than this," she said, pointing at ourselves.

I was stumped. I hadn't gathered from Bella's conversations with her friends this level of observance; of course, lengthy conversations with Bella and anyone were a rarity. "I don't know," I said. "I guess we just feel like outsiders. Forks is a very close-knit community."

She was looking me in the eye now, as if she were trying to read what untruths laid within their depths. "You've been here even longer than me, and I've made some friends."

I didn't like the way she was looking at me now, prying for information with her eyes. "Maybe you're just more sociable than us," I said. "Rosalie talks plenty to people, actually. She was sitting with Jessica Stanley just today," I said, trying to deflect Bella's attentions away from me.

"Maybe," she said. "But today was the first time I've ever seen you two apart." I remained silent, stoic. Bella was far more perceptive than I'd given her credit for; it made me nervous.

We didn't talk for the rest of the trip, other than the monosyllabic directions Bella gave me to get to her house. When I pulled up to her house, she didn't get out of the car immediately. "This was… interesting," she said, unbuckling her seatbelt slowly.

"Thank you, again, for the ride," she added. I got the sense that she was beating around the bush of what she was trying to say, for whatever reason.

I was leaning slightly toward her now, to wish her farewell. "Goodnight, Bella," I said, taking care to take in her delicious scent. I believed myself thoroughly under control; I could resist the temptation to bite while enjoying the scent, or so I thought.

As it happened, I had accidentally breathed in her face; because she was a human, the sweet scent must have been entrancing. She leaned closer to my face unwittingly. "Yes," she said. "Goodnight." Her words indicated she meant to depart, but she didn't move.

I didn't move, either. We were both sitting stock-still in our seats, the tips of our noses almost touching from the closeness. Her hand, on the edge of her seat, was close to touching mine there, as well. She leaned in closer, closing her eyes. I blinked back surprise, willing myself not to go down that road. I didn't even know if she really wanted to kiss me, or if I was just accidentally transferring my emotions onto her.

The moment stretched strangle in time, and a dull thudding noise deadened in my ears; I realized the source of the problem after a moment. "Breathe, Bella." She sucked in a large gulp of air and opened her eyes, breaking the tension.

She blushed immediately. "Goodnight!" she said, throwing open the door and letting in a gust of cool air. The air cleared my thoughts. It allowed me to think of things other than the way her full, warm lips might have felt against my cold ones, the way it would have tasted if I bit her lower lip a little and let her hot, sweet blood mingle with our kiss…

She slammed the car door and ran up to her front door. After she disappeared inside, I drove home with only my thoughts of Bella to keep me company.

ROSALIE HALE

"Are you ready?" I said, Emmett's hand tightly encased in mine.

"I think I am," he said. "Therefore, I am." I laughed at the mild joke. He could only smile thinly.

I had brought him a changed of clothes; he looked dashing, now that he was dressed in a civilized manner. "You look handsome," I whispered in his ear. We were walking up the porch steps to the house. When we had almost reached the front door, Esme opened it, her jaw dropping slightly in surprise.

"Who is this, Rose?" She didn't blink as she spoke.

"This," I said, looking at my feet, "is Emmett."

Comprehension flickered on her face. She smiled warmly. "Well, then, come on in, Emmett." She led us inside.

**End Note: **Thank you for reading, now please review!


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